The Taoiseach's moment of truth on Iraq has arrived. He will have to remove himself from the traditional comfort zone of the fence. Last week the Taoiseach had difficulty answering a straight question on this issue because, he said, he wanted to wait and see what would happen. Something has happened. The inspectors have made some progress and over 100,000 people in Ireland have marched, as have millions more worldwide. It is time for the Taoiseach to seize the day and declare his position on Iraq. This is a matter of both leadership and democracy, not to mention the primacy and legit imacy of the United Nations. The Taoiseach wants a second resolution and has said as much. He also said he wants to work with the United Nations. We need to hear that again. We also need an answer to one other question. Does the Taoiseach support unilateral action against Iraq in the event of no sanction being given by the United Nations? That question requires an answer of one syllable, "yes" or "no".
Leaders' Questions.
Matters have moved on a good deal since last week. Our consistent position of support for the United Nations Security Council was extremely useful in yesterday's debate. Kofi Annan's remarks on that yesterday were also clear. We believe, and Deputy Kenny holds the same view, that a united approach within the Security Council is most likely to succeed in convincing Saddam Hussein to comply with his obligations and, therefore, in achieving what everybody wants, a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
The members of the European Council took full account of the deep concern of everybody who marched last week. I will report to the House in greater detail later but every EU government is anxious to avoid war. We want the disarmament of Iraq to be achieved through exclusively peaceful means in accordance with Resolution 1441. That is why we are putting so much pressure on Saddam Hussein to comply. In my view, war can still be avoided. Already, Resolution 1441, and the credible threat of force which underpins it, has resulted in progress and perhaps there will be more progress now.
We will continue to support the Security Council. We have been doing that successfully and determinedly even though we have received criticism for doing so. However, it is the right thing to do and we will continue to do it. We will remain with Kofi Annan and the Security Council on this issue. Let us hope that support gets us what we all want which is full compliance with the 17 resolutions laid before the Security Council and the latest one, which we also support.
On Deputy Kenny's final point, that matter may arise some day and perhaps it will not. I hope none of these issues arises and that Saddam Hussein is forced into a position where he will comply. I am heartened at this weekend's meeting and statement by Arab leaders and Foreign Ministers. They are due to have another council this week. Last night it was agreed there would be further contact between the European Union and the leadership of the Arab states who will in turn put pressure on Saddam Hussein to comply.
I am interested in the Taoiseach's line of thought. His reticence in answering is causing confusion regarding the serious consequences referred to in Resolution 1441. If the Taoiseach is opposed to war, in favour of the United Nations and in favour of Saddam Hussein disarming, which we all are, surely it means that if we support the primacy and legitimacy of the United Nations, we should be opposed to unilateral action without UN sanction. This is as much about that legitimacy as it is about anything else. In the event of the United Nations not giving sanction for an invasion of Iraq, what will be the position of the Taoiseach and the Government?
I listened carefully to what 15 heads of state, the European Parliament and Kofi Annan have said, and nobody is giving any end line positions, nor will they.
They are all opposed to unilateral action.
We spent nine hard weeks on the Security Council framing Resolution 1441 – it was an enormous diplomatic success in which Ireland played a part. In our view, Resolution 1441 means we should do everything we can to avoid conflict and get disarmament and a peaceful resolution, including a military build-up to succeed in putting pressure on Saddam Hussein. This man has ignored everything for 12 years. If Resolution 1441 was about trying to put pressure on him, it is working – Kofi Annan made that clear yesterday – and that vindicates the position of assisting in that build-up. We will continue to stick with the Security Council.
Does the Taoiseach accept that the largest demonstration of Irish citizens since the PAYE tax marches in 1979 was a spontaneous expression of disappointment at the failure of the Government to represent their views? What did he convey to his fellow European leaders at the summit meeting? What did he say about the French-German initiative for a non-military solution? Does he accept that the remit of the UN mandate is the identification and destruction of weapons of mass destruction and not regime change and that countries which posit regime change as an objective are acting outside the mandate? Will the Taoiseach declare, at a minimum, what Ireland's position is in the event of pre-emptive unilateral action being taken?
In their contributions yesterday, the French and Germans made it unambiguously clear that their number one position is to see compliance with Resolution 1441 and to see Iraq disarmed. Deputy Rabbitte is correct that Resolution 1441 is not about regime change, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have said several times.
Let us remember that Iraq has refused to comply with UN Security Council resolutions for over a decade. In addition to the 17 resolutions tabled to date, Iraq has continued to ignore everything else that has been said. France and Germany said we should call on Iraq to allow the weapons inspectors immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access to any and all areas, facilities, equipment, records and means of transport, and a strong line was taken on that issue. It was noted by the European Council that six million people marched last weekend and there was a strong desire to seek a peaceful resolution. That will be achieved if Saddam Hussein changes his position, stops ignoring the Security Council, the world order for peace and security, and starts complying in a serious manner. There has been welcome progress but we must see more.
As Kofi Annan made clear yesterday, if that is not the case, the Security Council will have to face up to its responsibilities. He made that same point on 8 November, 8 December, 20 December 2002 and on various dates in January 2003. This country's strategy is to follow the Security Council and try to force the changes from the Iraqi authorities to comply with Resolution 1441. If they do not, the Security Council will have to face up to its responsibilities and the matter will be discussed then. Ireland is not on the Security Council but Kofi Annan's position is clear. He is not prepared to allow the Iraqi regime ignore what he has been trying to achieve for a dozen years.
The Taoiseach has not answered any of my questions. I did not ask him what Kofi Annan's position was. What is the position of the Irish Government in the event of a unilateral strike? Does the Taoiseach accept the UN estimates that there will be 100,000 direct casualties and 400,000 indirect casualties and that 30% of children under five are at risk of death by malnutrition in the event of a strike? Did the Taoiseach tell his EU counterparts the depth of feeling in Dublin last Saturday? Is it not a travesty of the issue that he should send out the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, and that the Taoiseach should support him by making outrageously hypocritical and erroneous suggestions to the effect that 100,000 people were on the street in support of Government policy. They were there against Government policy and angry that no policy is being articulated.
That is nonsense.
I have always been against conflict and war, which everybody in the House knows, and I will continue to be so. I have never been involved in any organisation in any form that has been other than that. I am heartened that 100,000 people take the same view, as I hope does everyone in this House, and that they do not want to see war.
How many of the Taoiseach's party were on the march?
The reason I quoted Kofi Annan is that he is the Secretary General of the organisation responsible for world order and peace. We have done our best, including spending time on the Security Council, to support and assist that organisation in bringing a resolution to this matter. We stand totally behind UNSCR 1441 and will give our support to a second resolution although we are not on the Security Council. I will not answer hypothetical questions on matters that may or may not arise. We got an emphatic statement from the European Council yesterday, which I hope will help in the resolution of this conflict.
On 15 February the world, through every time zone, witnessed an elemental movement of humanity in opposition to the barbarity of what a war on Iraq would mean, and it has obviously left the Taoiseach cold. He came in here today after an historic day, by any barometer in our world, and repeated the same mumbo jumbo he repeated last week and the week before, which the Minister, Deputy Cowen, has also dished out to us. Does the Taoiseach agree that a yawning chasm divides the great bulk of the ordinary people of Europe from much of the political elite in Europe? Does he agree that in this State, in particular, a huge chasm divides the views of the ordinary citizens and those of the Taoiseach and his Government? In continuing to afford US military facilities in Shannon, does the Taoiseach agree that he is in opposition to the vehemently stated wishes of the Irish people?
I ask the Taoiseach, the Government and sections of the media to come clean; the Taoiseach knows perfectly well that the reasons put forward for attacking Iraq are fraudulent from start to finish. He knows that if Saddam Hussein shoots as much as a peashooter outside his border, he will invite obliteration. Therefore, does the Taoiseach agree that this is not at all about alleged weapons of mass destruction, but about the United States wanting to extend imperial hegemony over the Middle East and corral oil resources for the next century?
The Deputy's two minutes have concluded.
I have one final question.
Members have been very good today in that everyone has stayed within their time. I must call the Taoiseach to reply.
Since virtually every strata of society except Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats Parliamentary Party—
The Deputy is making a statement. I call the Taoiseach.
—was represented on Saturday, will the Taoiseach change his policy and stop the growing war machine?
I ask the Deputy to allow the Taoiseach to answer his questions. I call the Taoiseach.
No, I will not change my posi tion. I will continue to support the Security Council of the United Nations. I will continue to support Resolution 1441. I will continue to support a peaceful resolution to this issue. I will continue to support the international support for Saddam Hussein to comply in this regard, something he has failed to do for the past 12 years and which not only the international community but all his neighbouring states have asked him to do. People want peace and the way we can have it and avoid war is by getting a total fulfilment of the resolution.
As Deputies Rabbitte and Higgins said, I am well aware of the humanitarian position. I am also well aware that a quarter of children under five years of age in Iraq die. I am aware of the enormous humanitarian position that exists in Iraq for the past 12 years because the leader of that state, who received 99.8% of support in an undemocratic election, continues to give no say to the ordinary people—
The Taoiseach did not criticise the sanctions.
It was the Deputy's colleague of the same name who asked the question. The Deputy is not the leader of a party.
I hope that Deputy Joe Higgins will also support the United Nations Security Council. I believe the people who marched last week will also support the Security Council and I will continue to do so.
The humanitarian consequences of this were not mentioned by the Taoiseach.
Children die in their tens of thousands because the main countries in the United Nations have put sanctions in place against the provision of medicines and technology needed for a civilised life. That is why children die. Does the Taoiseach know how outraged the taxpayers of this country must have been today when they learned that the Government is subsidising US military aeroplanes over-flying this country, that while we marched on Saturday about 19 military aeroplanes carrying weapons of mass destruction to attack Iraq flew over our airspace and that the Government subsidised them by paying the cost of air traffic control and so forth? Does he consider that is an outrage and will he withdraw that facility immediately, as Austria has done?
Does the Taoiseach know that, according to the most recent opinion poll, voters in every age category, social group and region oppose his policy of continuing to afford Shannon as a facility? Does he agree that workers in Shannon would be perfectly justified in carrying out the mandate of the people by blocking the war machine-—
I ask the Deputy to allow the Taoiseach to answer his question.
I will continue to support the Security Council. I will continue to support the efforts of Kofi Annan. I will continue to support the decision of the European Union to try to get a peaceful resolution of this issue, to avoid war by maximising pressure and, as Chancellor Schüssel said last night, to force the Iraqi regime to once and for all listen so that everybody can get on with peaceful co-existence – the only person who is not listening and who is refusing to make progress is Saddam Hussein – and the effort hopefully will continue to do that. In the meantime, this country, as we did yesterday, will continue to play a constructive and consistent part – people can criticise it as much as they like – in helping and pressing ahead to try to find a peaceful resolution to this in the only way that we can, which is compliance with Resolution 1441 or any further resolution.